Conventional methods used in semiconductor die packaging involve the process of die bonding, wire bonding, encapsulation moulding, deflashing and singulation. Transfer moulding is typically used to encapsulate a group of semiconductor dies and the respective bonded wire interconnections with a conductive substrate to form a semiconductor package. In the process, the conductive substrate, with wire bonded dies, is placed in a lower mould plate of split-cavity. By clamping the upper mould plate onto the lower mould plate with a periphery of the substrate in between the split mould plates, injecting a liquefied encapsulant into the mold cavity, and allowing the encapsulant to cure, the dies are physically sealed and protected from the external environment. By singulating the semiconductor package, individual semiconductor chips are obtained.
Due to the use of high pressure in delivering the encapsulant, some of the bond wires may be dislodged or moved into contact with an adjacent bond wire. The other problem area is to design reservoirs, runners, gates and air vents to give encapsulant flow characteristics that are sufficient to meet void-free encapsulation. These moulds are expensive and require constant cleaning to remove the encapsulant from channels inside the moulds.
It can thus be seen that there exists a need for new systems and methods of encapsulating semiconductor dies by overcoming disadvantages of the existing prior art.